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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bore — to drill
  4. field — for sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — a division
  11. tube — a container
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chest — a box
  15. game — wild animals
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — to tire
  21. game — a match
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com